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Major Immigrant Groups
The Icelanders
Icelanders first came to Canada in the early-1870s. They left their native homeland because of volcanic eruptions, shortages of grasslands, and overpopulation, which was draining their natural resources. They originally settled in Ontario and Quebec but soon became unhappy with their conditions and decided to move west. They formed an isolated block settlement on the west side of Lake Winnipeg. This settlement stretched from Selkirk to Hecla Island, including Gimli. They named this area the Republic of New Iceland.
Click here to view the memoirs of one Icelander's journey to and settlement in Manitoba.
This area was not yet a part of the province of Manitoba but was included in the relatively ungoverned North-West Territory of Canada. This allowed the Icelandic settlers to create their own laws and judicial system. They created their own government that consisted of four districts (or byggdirs in Icelandic), which were each governed by a council (or thing in Icelandic) of five people headed by a reeve. This administration was supported by the Canadian government until 1881 when Manitoba’s boundaries expanded and the republic became a part of Manitoba. The Icelanders were granted the right to self-government until 1887.
Although Icelanders were content with their situation in Manitoba, everything was not ideal. The area where they chose to settle was perfect for fishing. Many Icelanders made a living selling dried fish to Americans. The problem was that it was poor land for farming. Aboriginal Peoples unwittingly created a small pox epidemic in the community in 1876 when the disease was passed on to the Icelanders who were not yet immune. Lake Winnipeg flooded its bank several times between 1876 and 1880. Also, a religious dispute in the early-1880s caused many Icelanders to leave their republic for North Dakota or Winnipeg’s west end.
Despite these troubles, Icelandic immigration to Manitoba continued to boom. In the mid-1880s, immigration from Iceland to the area of the republic increased and by 1900, the population grew to 2500. The majority of immigrant Icelanders was well-educated and made an effort to preserve their language. They did this mostly through their education system where classes were taught in Icelandic. Gradually, Icelandic was not used as much in the community. However, several poets and writers still produce works in their native language.
Click here to view a sample of Icelandic writing and compare it with its English translation.
